Suggested Learning Sequence

How do we travel to school each day? Look at a photo of a Walking School Bus. What are they doing? How are the children on the bus feeling? How can you tell? Who is driving the bus? Who are the people helping to keep the bus on the footpath? A class discussion follows as to what a Walking School Bus is, whether there are any established within the school and who catches it. Which is your left hand? Touch your left foot/ear/knee. What does 'Keep Left' mean? Why is it a necessary rule? Why should we try and use the rule on the footpath as well as the road?

Make a Walking School Bus on the playground. Different ways of walking The teacher leads (or encourages different children to lead) the class around the playground in 2 rows.

Walk quickly as if you can't wait to get to school

Walk slowly as if you are very tired

Walk as if you have a very heavy school bag

Walk as if you have a sore toe

Walk as if you have a sore heel

Invent a new walk

Copy someone else's new walk

Keep Left! Learning road rulesThe class stays on the playground. The teacher marks out a long and narrow pathway (about 2m wide and 10m in length) with 4 cones. Arrange the class into 2 lines and rehearse 'keeping left' while moving in opposite directions up and down the 'footpath' as shown in the diagram below.Change leaders with the shake of the tambourine. Introduce different forms of locomotor movement: skipping, hopping, walking backwards, hands and feet (if the surface is smooth), galloping, walking sideways See

Give Way to the right Set out 4 cones in a large square on the playground. Organise the class into 4 lines. The leaders of each group decide on the locomotor movement the group copies. Allow the lines to travel anywhere within the space marked by the cones but each time they come close to another group on their right (an intersection), they must stop and give way. Each time they stop, the leader goes to the back and the second in line becomes the new leader, who decides on a new form of locomotor movement. This activity could be formalised with cones set out to create specific pathways to follow.

(RTF) and
Using the Dance Vocabulary Cards
for more ideas. This activity can be performed inside or outside. The students work individually and watch the teacher (or a delegated student) who holds up one of the

When the red light is held up, make a shape of a car with another person

On and off the School Bus Set up a 'School Bus Route' using 6-8 cones, with the last one being the school. Allocate 4 students to each of the cones except the last one and give each group a number. Each group is given 3 minutes to create an interesting 'Bus Stop' shape using everyone in the group. They have to stay in this shape until the 'School Bus' comes to collect them. The teacher calls out a number and this group forms a 2x2 formation and walks to the closest group (or one specified by the teacher). They collect the next group, who line up in a 2x2 formation behind the others, and move onto the next bus stop. Continue until all the bus stops have been visited and the bus arrives at the school. The bus then turns around, and the last group to join the bus becomes the lead. They drop the other groups off as they visit each bus stop. When a group is dropped off, they form their 'bus stop shape' once more and hold this until everyone is back in their original places.Variations:

Change the locomotor movement at every bus stop

As the bus arrives at each stop, the new group joins the front instead of the back so that the leaders are constantly changing.

Use music - fast, slow, modern, classical and the students choose their own form of locomotor movement

Make different 'bus stop' shapes each time groups are waiting. Encourage the students to use different body bases - lying down, knees, bottoms, hands and feet, etc and to make narrow, wide, twisted shapes

'Hop on the Bus' Dance The students create a short dance using the ideas previously explored. Music suggestion: Kiwi Kidsongs 14 - Tracks 14, 15 or 16 Groups of 4 are formed and each group is allocated an area to work in and 5 cones or markers. (The groups could create their own signs for this activity)

They mark out a dance area with the 5 cones (or signs) in an interesting formation. The cones are Bus Stops and the last one is 'School'. This is the 'Bus Route'

The students number each Bus Stop

Each student stands beside one of the cones and makes an exciting shape. The students should be encouraged to use different body bases to create their shape - not just feet.

Bus Stop 1 travels to the second stop using a locomotor movement of choice. He/she collects Bus Stop 2, who joins the front of the bus and they move in a new way to Bus Stop 3. This continues until all 4 Bus Stops have been visited and the bus arrives at 'School'.

The group then decides what they like most about school and creates a new shape (or short movement phrase if they are able) to represent it. Some examples may be: Visual Art - big painting movements, or a picture frame; Sitting at desks; a tree they sit under; a lunch box!

This shape is held for 8 counts, and then the dance is reversed until everyone is back at their 'Bus Stop' in the original (or new) shape.